Early April, early summer.
The temperature in Tokyo was already approaching the hot season. By 2:30 p.m., as the sun slowly inclined toward the western mountains and neared dismissal time for schools across the country, the summer heat finally found some temporary relief.
"Ding ling ling—"
The bell rang. Hoshino Jun packed his books into his single-strap bag and walked out of the classroom with his classmates, Takazaki Yusuke and Takayanagi Jo, from the front row.
"Tokyo is just awful this year. It's already this hot in April."
"Yeah, I feel the same way. Tokyo is really too hot."
The conversation between the two young men reached Hoshino Jun's ears. Hoshino looked up and gazed at the sun in the sky.
This year's Tokyo was indeed hotter than usual.
"But compared to Nagasaki and Hiroshima decades ago, how hot could it really be?"
"Facing temperatures of sixty degrees, the people of those two places didn't utter a sound. People in this country nowadays are just too fussy."
Hoshino muttered to himself.
It had been nearly three years since he had transmigrated there. Apart from an aunt who treated him extremely well, his life wasn't much different from his previous one.
Both parents were deceased, and he had no car or house.
He was exceptionally handsome, which made him particularly prone to receiving love letters.
But everything has its price. Along with his handsome face, which was deeply loved by girls, naturally came resentment from male classmates.
For example, Takazaki Yusuke and Takayanagi Jo.
Don't misunderstand; Hoshino Jun wasn't friends with them. They were walking together now not because they had a good relationship.
They were all heading to the teachers' office for a reprimand.
Why?
While Hoshino Jun's gaze rested on them, panels related to the two suddenly appeared.
[Name: Takazaki Yusuke]
Stamina: 5
Intelligence: 5
Charm: 7
Occupation: Student
[Occupation: Student]
[Favor: In debt. Judged unable to repay. Debt has been automatically transferred to girlfriend, Kato Nana."]
[Note: Please promptly collect the favor debt from this person. You will receive a reward upon successful collection.]
The Favor System appeared yesterday when Hoshino Jun was falsely accused of stealing money by Takazaki Yusuke and Takayanagi Jo.
If Hoshino Jun chose not to confront them about it, they would owe him a favor. If the system judged them unable to repay the favor.
Then, the favor debt would be randomly transferred to someone close to them.
Hoshino Jun needed to successfully collect the favor debt, after which he would receive a reward from the system.
"Hey, Hoshino, you know what to say when we see Teacher Hamazaki later, right?"
Takayanagi Jo suddenly turned around, furrowing his eyebrows and adopting a threatening tone as if intimidating Hoshino Jun.
Incidentally, Takayanagi and Hoshino were neighbors and should have been good friends. Originally, that was the case.
But everything changed two years ago when the girl Takayanagi Jo had painstakingly pursued handed a love letter to Hoshino Jun.
Despite Hoshino Jun's clear rejection and lack of attention, Takayanagi Jo held a grudge against him.
Yesterday, he joined forces with Takazaki Yusuke to falsely accuse Hoshino Jun of stealing money.
Fortunately, someone reported them, saying they saw the two putting money into Hoshino Jun's bag.
This prevented the incident from causing a stir.
"I understand. Since I said I would forgive you, I won't go back on my word."
Hoshino Jun looked at the panel in front of Takayanagi Jo, thinking.
You'd better hope the reward the system gives me is enough to soothe my anger. Otherwise, Takayanagi Jo and Takazaki Yusuke will learn that I, Hoshino Jun, am a petty man.
[Name: Takayanagi Jo]
[Stamina: 6]
[Intelligence: 4]
[Charm: 7]
[Occupation: Student]
[Favor: In debt. Judged unable to repay. Debt has been automatically transferred to mother, Takayanagi Yūki."]
[Note: Please promptly collect the favor debt from this person. Upon successful collection, you will receive a reward.]
Hoshino Jun was eager to see what kind of reward the system, which took two and a half years to appear in Tokyo, would grant him.
Money would be best.
Life at home was a bit tight. He wanted to get some money to help his aunt relieve the pressure.
"..."
One minute later,
Hoshino Jun arrived at the teachers' office on the third floor. He knocked, heard "Come in," and pushed the door open.
About a dozen teachers were sitting in the office. They were all dressed in the standard uniform of white shirts and had receding hairlines.
The older the teacher, the higher the hairline; one teacher's was already beyond salvage.
But one teacher was an exception.
The rolled-up curtains couldn't block the afternoon sun. A beam of light shone on the workstation in the back of the office where a woman in her early twenties sat.
Hoshino Jun bowed respectfully in greeting.
"Hamazaki-sensei!"
Hamazaki Mayu.
She was 170 cm tall with jet-black hair that cascaded straight down past her shoulders. She wore gold-rimmed glasses. Under her professional pencil skirt were a pair of straight, long legs sheathed in thin, flesh-colored stockings that showed not a single flaw.
Fair-skinned with delicate, beautiful features, she always maintained a cold expression, exuding the air of an older sister.
"Hoshino-kun, have you thought it over? This time, Takayanagi and Takazaki maliciously framed you. I hope you make the right judgment."
Hamazaki Mayu's tone of voice matched her appearance: cold and authoritative.
When her gaze swept over Takayanagi Jo and Takazaki Yusuke, the two of them bowed their heads like quails.
"Teacher, we were just joking around with Jun-kun as friends. Right, Jun-kun?"
Takayanagi Jo frantically signaled with his eyes.
Hamazaki Mayu's willow-like eyebrows furrowed. Her long, silk-clad legs crossed and swayed slightly as she scolded, "Did I ask you to speak?"
"Sorry, Teacher. I spoke out of turn."
Takayanagi Jo lowered his head, not daring to say more. He could only pin his hopes on Hoshino Jun.
Hoshino Jun lived up to those hopes. After a brief pause, he nodded and said, "Teacher, it's true. Jo-kun is my neighbor, and Takazaki-kun has been my classmate for three consecutive years."
"I'm willing to believe they were just joking with me."
Not that he truly believed it was a joke, but he was willing to believe it was.
Hamazaki Mayu's eyebrows remained furrowed. Her eyes held more worry as she looked at Hoshino Jun; she was deeply concerned for this excessively kind and handsome young man.
"Hoshino-kun, you must understand that if a person is too kind, they can easily be bullied by scoundrels."
The word "scoundrels" was clearly directed at Takayanagi Jo and Takazaki Yusuke.
Their backs bent even lower. For the sake of their academic careers, they didn't dare refute her.
"Teacher, please rest assured. I'm not a fool who lets others bully me. This time, I'm willing to believe."
"All right, then. It's your decision. You make the call."
Hamazaki Mayu let out a soft sigh. She had actually hoped that Hoshino Jun would be more assertive.
However, since he had made his choice, she couldn't say much more.
"Hoshino-kun, you may go back first. Takazaki and Takayanagi, you two stay. Go to the corner and write a two-thousand-word reflection paper before you leave."
The office echoed with Takazaki Yusuke's and Takayanagi Jo's dejected groans.
It was evening. The sun set behind the western hills, and the sky was blanketed with sunset clouds.
Hoshino Jun received a text message from Takayanagi Jo:
"Hoshino, don't think that just because you did that today I'll forgive you."
What could he say? It just showed how self-important Takayanagi Jo was.
Hoshino Jun never needed his forgiveness in the first place.
Knock, knock, knock!
Hoshino knocked on the Takayanagi household door. A beautiful, curvaceous woman with brown hair tied into a braid that fell over her ample bosom opened the door.
"It's Jun-chan! It's been so long since you've come over to play. Come on in!"